Roles and challenges of a Swiss hospital pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Background: On March 16, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss Federal Council declared an 'extraordinary situation' in terms of the Epidemics Act. Purpose(s) To assess the roles of an inter-hospital pharmacy in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. Method(s) All missions performed by our pharmacy were systematically collected and evaluated. They were also compared to its official duties. Result(s) Specific missions, which have been mainly managed by the crisis unit and the four departments of the pharmacy (Pharmaceutical Logistics, Drug Manufacturing, Clinical Pharmacy and Nursing Homes Supply), were 1) human resources continuity;2) specific drug supply (for both hospitals and nursing homes;e.g. anaesthetics, sedatives, antiviral drugs, incl. for clinical trials);3) clinical assistance (especially in the ICU of the main acute hospital);4) individual drug manufacturing (e.g. hydroxychloroquine oral solution);5) on-site pharmacies management;6) own infrastructure securing (especially in term of hygiene);7) hand disinfectant production;and 8) hygienic masks supply for healthcare professionals in the area. The two last missions were out of the traditional duties of our pharmacy and have been achieved with the support of staff from the Swiss civil protection. A particular challenge was the management of the shortage of various products and the identification of alternative therapeutic options. Conclusion(s) Our pharmacy has faced various challenges during the acute pandemic situation. Some missions performed were even beyond our traditional ones. The disaster plan of our pharmacy has to be further developed, as well as the associated training of the staff, based on the lessons learned from this pandemic.